Are you familiar with Brahman Cattle? Eastern Brahman Breeders Association (EBBA) sure is! If you don’t know what a Brahman is, don’t worry; I was udderly clueless until a couple of weeks ago myself (you see what I did there?). When the EBBA President, Cyana Briles, reached out to Specially Gifted Foundation about sharing the venue for Spring in the Valley Festival, we were intrigued. As we discovered more about this organization, we found that not only do we think Brahman Cattle are beautiful creatures, but something else made this opportunity with EBBA a special one. That being said, we are pleased to announce that EBBA EXTRAVAGANZA will be joining us at Spring in the Valley Festival this year.
First things first, what exactly is EBBA?
The Eastern Brahman Breeders Association is a 501(c)(3) launched in January 2019. The purpose behind this organization is to promote and market Brahman and Brahman influenced cattle in the eastern part of the United States. The development of the EBBA was made possible by their parent organization, the American Brahman Breeders Association (ABBA). The EBBA, along with their partners, supporters, and members, are very passionate about their work with this special breed of cattle.
EBBA Mission Statement: To promote the use of Brahman cattle for sustainable agriculture practices through educating our members and the public.
WHAT IS EBBA EXTRAVAGANZA?
The Eastern Brahman Extravaganza is a sanctioned ABBA points show. The cattle are scored on a points system determined by factors such as general appearance, body form or conformation, breed and sex characteristics, and temperament. EBBA refers to this event as a celebration of the Brahman breed, and is intended to be a show for everyone.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT A BRAHMAN IS…
I told you they were beautiful! Brahman Cattle have very distinct features, such as the hump behind their head, longer ears, and loose skin. The more body surface they have, the more easily they are able to dissipate heat.
Physical features aside, they have unique personalities and love attention. One of the EBBA members states they are almost human because of the way they talk to you with their eyes. They are a smart breed of cattle, easy to handle (if treated properly), produce quality beef, and have superior mothering instincts. As many neat traits as these cattle have, one thing that I find exceptionally interesting is a substance they secrete called sebum; this is a naturally produced insect repellent.
The Brahman breed is a global breed. You can find them in more hemispheres on Earth than any other breed because they thrive where other breeds do not. Approximately 80% of the cattle in the world are derived from Brahman or Brahman influenced cattle.
American Brahman is the only beef breed that’s ever been developed in this country; this breed was created out of necessity. The EBBA makes a compelling argument for why this breed’s adaptability is advantageous to humans across the globe in the video below.
https://youtu.be/TMbw7EiEsrw
WHAT MADE THE EBBA STAND OUT TO SGF?
As Cyana explained how their event could co-exist with Spring in the Valley, we already had a good feeling about her proposal. As Macey Price, SGF Co-Founder, read through the request, she came to a part that prompted her to share it with the SGF team immediately.
One of the EBBA’s largest benefactors is The Brahman Foundation (TBF), a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2015. Cyana explains that this organization was founded specifically because of a dynamic young lady with Down syndrome, to benefit all youth in an inclusive environment. Our hearts melted; then she told us about their logo featuring Miss Megan Lambert, the inspiration behind The Brahman Foundation. We were officially sold on the idea. Check out their awesome logo below!
Saturday’s Schedule of Events for EBBA EXTRAVAGANZA
8:00 am – Peewee Showmanship
8:30 am – Showmanship (Junior, Intermediate, Senior & Adult)
10:00 am – (approximate) Open show will begin 15 minutes after Showmanship show ends.
Groups will be first, then we will show Gray Bulls – Red Bulls
12:00 pm – (approximate) 30-minute Lunch break
12:30 pm Gray Females – Red Females – Commercial Females
Junior Showmanship 7-11 age group
Intermediate Showmanship 12-15 age group
Senior Showmanship 16-18 age group
Adult Showmanship 19 – older age group
For questions about the show, please contact Cyana Briles, EBBA President, using their Contact Form or text/call her personally at 336.410.2126. Follow EBBA on Facebook for additional updates.
what it means to sgf to be able to bring the ebba extravaganza to spring in the valley festival…
It’s no secret that we love partnering with other nonprofits; but when we come across organizations that support and receive support from other organizations that share the same values as we do, it’s an undeniable match.
This partnership is even more rewarding than we could have imagined (and we haven’t even got to the event yet), because the Eastern Brahman Breeder’s Association is donating $1,000 to SGF!
